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Garibaldi Lake from Rubble Creek

The big day hike of the Sea-to-Sky: nine kilometres and about 900 metres up through old forest from Rubble Creek to a vast turquoise lake held back by a volcanic lava dam, with glaciers pouring into its far shore.

المدة: 1 يوم
المسافة: 18 كم
الصعود: 900 م
مستوى الصعوبة: صعب
أفضل موسم: July to early October, once the snow is off the upper trail

طباعة بطاقات الأيام قائمة التجهيز

Garibaldi Lake is the reward that makes Vancouver hikers put up with a long, steady, viewless climb. The lake is almost ten square kilometres of glacier-fed turquoise at nearly 1,500 metres, more than 250 metres deep, with the Sphinx and Sentinel glaciers spilling toward its eastern shore and the dark spire of the Black Tusk rising behind the meadows to the north. You reach it by the Garibaldi Lake Trail from the Rubble Creek trailhead: about nine kilometres each way and roughly 900 metres of gain, almost all of it in the first six kilometres of forest.

The geology is the story. The lake exists because of The Barrier, a lava flow more than 300 metres thick that ponded against a retreating ice sheet about 13,000 years ago and now dams the whole basin. The Barrier is unstable. In 1855–56 part of it collapsed in a huge rock avalanche down the valley, leaving the boulder field that gives Rubble Creek its name, and in 1980–81 the province declared the area below it unsafe for habitation. That is why you will see signs near the trailhead telling you not to stop or linger in the hazard zone. Take them seriously and keep walking.

Most people do this as a long day and come back with sore legs and the best lake view in southwestern BC. Fit hikers extend it to Taylor Meadows for the Black Tusk view, and the strongest go on to Panorama Ridge, a far bigger day that deserves its own planning. Camping at the lake or at Taylor Meadows splits the effort, but needs a reservation.

Getting there. Drive Highway 99 north past Squamish toward Whistler; the Rubble Creek trailhead turnoff is on the east side of the highway, about 1.5 to 2 hours from downtown Vancouver. There is no public transit to the trailhead.

Permits & passes. BC Parks requires a free day-use vehicle pass for the Rubble Creek trailhead on busy days in summer and early autumn. In 2026 the pass season ran June 12 to October 12, on Fridays through Mondays and holidays. Passes are released at 7 a.m. Pacific two days before your visit on the BC Parks site. Campers with a reservation do not need a separate day pass. Dates change every year: check the Garibaldi Park page and advisories before you go.

Good to know:

Dogs are not permitted in Garibaldi Provincial Park.
Snow lingers on the upper trail into early summer, and the lake is typically frozen from late December to late April.
There are pit toilets along the route but no treated water; bring a filter for refills from streams and the lake.
The trail is out-and-back, and the descent is where tired legs fail; save energy for it.

نصائح ومعلومات لهذا المسار تخططون لهذا المسار؟ اقرأوا نصائحنا العملية قبل الانطلاق — 8 نصائح. اقرأوا النصائح

تنزيل نقاط الطريق (GPX) نقاط اهتمام بترتيب المشي — وليست تتبّعًا للدرب.

يومًا بيوم

اليومالمسافةالصعودالهبوطوقت المشي

اليوم 1 أصعب يومRubble Creek to Garibaldi Lake and back

المسافة18 كمالصعود900 مالهبوطغير مسجّلوقت المشيغير مسجّل

اليوم 1

Rubble Creek to Garibaldi Lake and back

Rubble Creek trailhead, Highway 99 ← Rubble Creek trailhead (out-and-back) 18 كم 900 م

التنقّل في هذا اليوم طباعة اليوم

A long, steady forest climb to a junction at about six kilometres, then past Barrier Lake and Lesser Garibaldi Lake to the main lake, and the same way down.

مقاطع

Rubble Creek trailhead and the hazard zone 0.5 كم 50 م خريطة

Rubble Creek parking lot ← Start of the switchbacks

Wide gravel trail

The parking lot and first stretch of trail sit inside the Barrier hazard zone, below the unstable lava headwall that collapsed in 1855–56. The signs ask you not to stop or linger, and that includes the parking lot. Get organized at home, not here. About 10 minutes.

عن هذا المكان

The Barrier is a lava dam retaining the Garibaldi Lake system in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is about 80 kilometres north of Vancouver in Garibaldi Provincial Park of New Westminster Land District. The Barrier lies in the Cheakamus River watershed of the southern Coast Mountains where snow-capped mountains, diverse vegetation and rich geological history exist. Garibaldi Lake is the largest lake impounded by The Barrier; it has a length of 5.23 km (3.25 mi) and a width of 2.4 km (1.5 mi). The much smaller Lesser Garibaldi and Barrier lakes are also impounded by The Barrier. However, they lie within depressions on the surface of the lava dam rather than behind it. All three lakes are drained by Rubble Creek, a tributary of the Cheakamus River flowing northwest from the foot of The Barrier.
اقرأوا المزيد في ويكيبيديا صورة: chispita_666 · CC BY 2.0
The forest switchbacks 5.5 كم 750 م خريطة

Start of the switchbacks ← Taylor Meadows junction

Well-graded forest trail, steady climb

The engine room of the day: a long, relentless series of switchbacks up through big Douglas fir and hemlock, with few views and a gentle, never-ending grade. Settle into a pace you can hold for two hours; people who sprint the first kilometre suffer the rest. At about six kilometres the trail reaches a junction. About 2 to 2.5 hours.

عن هذا المكان

Garibaldi Provincial Park, also called Garibaldi Park, is a wilderness park located on the coastal mainland of British Columbia, Canada, 70 kilometres (43.5 mi) north of Vancouver. It was established in 1920 and named a Class A Provincial Park of British Columbia in 1927. The park is a popular destination for outdoor recreation, with over 30,000 overnight campers and over 106,000 day users in the 2017/2018 season.
اقرأوا المزيد في ويكيبيديا صورة: The Cosmonaut · CC BY-SA 2.5 ca
Barrier Lake and Lesser Garibaldi Lake 2.3 كم 80 م خريطة

Taylor Meadows junction ← Garibaldi Lake outlet

Rolling forest trail with lake views

Take the right fork for the lake. The grade eases and the trail passes Barrier Lake and Lesser Garibaldi Lake, two small lakes sitting in hollows on top of the lava dam itself. The forest thins, the light changes, and the first glimpses of turquoise appear through the trees. About 45 minutes.

عن هذا المكان

Barrier Lake, formerly called Stony Lake, is a small lake in New Westminster Land District of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is located west of Garibaldi Lake in Garibaldi Provincial Park. The name of the lake was adopted on September 2, 1930, for its association with The Barrier, a volcanic dam retaining the Garibaldi Lake system. Barrier Lake has a mean annual discharge of 10.44 m3/s (369 cu ft/s).
اقرأوا المزيد في ويكيبيديا صورة: David Abercrombie · CC BY-SA 2.0
Garibaldi Lake shore 0.7 كم 20 م خريطة

Garibaldi Lake outlet ← Day-use shelters, west shore

Lakeshore trail and wooden bridge

Cross the outlet on a wooden bridge and the whole lake opens up: glaciers on the far shore, Mount Price and the mountains around it, and the little Battleship Islands of lava along the northwest shore. Eat at the day-use shelters and give yourself at least an hour. About 15 minutes, plus lake time.
Back down to Rubble Creek 9 كم 0 م خريطة

Day-use shelters, west shore ← Rubble Creek parking lot

Same trail in reverse, long descent

Return the way you came. The descent is long and repetitive, hard on knees and toes; poles help. Keep something in the tank for the last switchbacks, and do not stop in the hazard zone at the bottom. About 2 to 2.5 hours.

عن هذا المكان

Rubble Creek, formerly called Stony Creek, is a tributary of the Cheakamus River in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It flows generally west and northwest for 17.8 km (11.1 mi). Most of its course is from Garibaldi Lake to the Cheakamus River. On the way it passes through a large amount of rubble from a geologically unstable lava dam called The Barrier. According to a streamflow gauge that operated from 1924 to 1955, Rubble Creek's mean annual discharge is 5.57 m3/s (197 cu ft/s). Its watershed, which includes Garibaldi Lake and Barrier Lake, covers 74.1 km2 (28.6 sq mi). The mouth of Rubble Creek is located about 19 km (12 mi) north of Squamish, about 13 km (8.1 mi) southwest of Whistler, and about 50 km (31 mi) north of Vancouver. Almost all of Rubble Creek is within Garibaldi Provincial Park.
اقرأوا المزيد في ويكيبيديا صورة: Thomas Quine · CC BY 2.0